NEW YORK, NY.- Later this month, Sotheby’s will present The Great American Whiskey Collection, its first-ever live, single-owner American whiskey auction, offering the most valuable collection of its kind ever to come to market. The monumental sale will take place at the iconic Breuer Building on Madison Avenue. Estimated between $1.17–1.68 million, the collection comprises 360 bottles offered across 320 lots from a meticulously curated private holding. The landmark auction is part of Visions of America, a week-long auction and event series celebrating American art, objects, and innovation, marking the nation’s 250th anniversary this year.

Assembled over many years by a dedicated collector, The Great American Whiskey Collection features an extraordinary selection of some of the rarest and most sought-after bottles of Bourbon and Rye ever bottled. The sale includes numerous private labels, exclusive single barrels, and historic bottlings that are now virtually impossible to source, with several appearing at auction for the very first time and many making their debut at Sotheby’s.

Spanning production dates as early as 1900, the collection is anchored by exceptional examples from Old Rip Van Winkle, which account for most of the collection’s value, alongside landmark bottles from Old Fitzgerald, Red Hook Rye, Buffalo Trace, Michter’s, and Wild Turkey. Sotheby’s currently holds the auction record for a bottle of post-Prohibition American whiskey at $125,000, and the sale’s top lot is expected to challenge—or surpass—that benchmark.

This collection stands as a testament to the Van Winkle legacy, offering the strongest representation of the family’s heritage and lineage ever presented at auction. Many of the Van Winkle single-barrel selections—bottled for Sam’s, Binny’s, Blue Smoke, Delilah’s, and Old Advocate—were produced in extremely limited quantities, with most being consumed in the subsequent years, leaving only the rarest remnants. These bottles capture both the artistry of their time and the resilience of the American whiskey industry during periods of challenge. Today, they rank among the most prized and valuable American whiskeys in existence.

The bottles in this auction come directly from the cellar of a single owner who meticulously assembled the collection over a period of many years, and stored them in his own custom-built home bar

Among the highlights:

• Old Rip Van Winkle 20 Year Old Single Barrel “Sam’s” (1G82, 133.4 proof): $70,000– 100,000: Bottled exclusively for Sam’s Wines C Spirits in Chicago, only 60 bottles were produced, the highest-proof Van Winkle ever released

• Van Winkle 18 Year Old “Binny’s” (1G85, 121.6 proof): $60,000–80,000: Exclusive single- barrel bottling

• Very Very Old Fitzgerald “Blackhawk” 18 Year Old (1G50, 121.0 proof): $50,000–80,000: Private bottling for the Wirtz family of Chicago Blackhawks fame

• LeNell’s Red Hook Rye Barrels #1–4: $24,000–35,000 each: Only 852 bottles exist across all four, among the most celebrated rye whiskeys in the world

Alongside Van Winkle, the collection features historic Old Fitzgerald Blackhawk bottlings and rarities from Buffalo Trace, Michter’s, and Wild Turkey. These thumbprints of American whiskey represent not only the apex of craftsmanship but also the preservation of history and community within the category.

“The value, quality, and rarity of these bottles are unparalleled,” added Zev Glesta, Sotheby's Whiskey Specialist, AVP. “This is not just a great American whiskey collection—it is the collection, bringing together the very finest examples ever produced. Each bottle tells a story, captures a moment in history, and preserves the lineage of a craft that continues to grow and evolve today.”